Why we need government support for School Management Software

School management software is becoming an increasingly ubiquitous piece of technology for modern institutions in India and beyond. But when we take a look at education policy in the country applications of education technology are disappointingly limited. Critics may argue that this is because India, as a
country, is still focused on resolving some first level issues that continue to plague. What room is there to even consider education technology when there are teachers struggling to accrue enough textbooks for all the children in their classroom?

Is a smart whiteboard really something to desire when so many classrooms across the country do not even have access to chalk and a slate?

But school management software can often be a stop-gap solution or the comprehensive answer to a lot of these problems. It just needs initial investment and consistent institutional support from our powers that be – the government. We have seen some examples of this already – outcomes from the Kerala government implementing the Fedena school management software across all government schools in the state have been overwhelmingly positive. These targets could not have been achieved with the wide reach of governmental support.

At Fedena, we believe this model could be replicated across the country to the advantage of every stakeholder in the educational ecosystem. We have spoken about the many benefits school management systems bring these stakeholders, but what can a behemoth body like the government gain from a piece of educational technology?

Here are a few we can think off right away:

Better across the board accountability

We saw this happen in Kerala – once all schools under the State Government’s aegis were on the same platform, the playing field was further leveled. How so? We had a unified system to function on – schools communicated with each other and their managing bodies through the same channels leading to open conversations, the review metrics for all schools were consistent leading to more honest evaluations, smaller or weaker schools didn’t just fall through the cracks, and finally, students and parents themselves experienced a comforting level of consistency when changes or transitions took place. All these ultimately resulted in high levels of accountability and transparency helping us move towards a collective goal of better education for students.

Reaching new scholars

One of our biggest challenges in India has been reaching universal or near-universal education. While the privileged are offered choices in the kind of education they wish to receive, those who are not are often not even given a standard option.Existing schools are under-resourced and inconsistent in the imparting of wisdom, leaving students bereft and their futures in question.

Here, educational technology like a school management system can be a big equalizer, using video conferencing, remote classrooms, single window platforms etc. as a way to connect with students in far-flung areas of the country and helping them with teachers and peers who will form their classroom.

Becoming future ready

Twinning programs, study abroad, and international internships and residencies are becoming par for the course for school and college students in India.  But what about less underfunded schools?

These students also have the potential to do great things on a global scale, but they just lack the exposure. A school management system helps brings schools across the world closer, helping students who may not have the resources to head abroad themselves access a vast majority of the infrastructure students who can experience.

From access to the biggest libraries in the world to collaborations on projects from students across countries, your school management system powered by the far-flung reach of governments helps student access international resources certified and recognized by their home institutions.

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